Container tie down

ABSTRACT

A cargo-carrying container having end walls and cargo tie-down devices on the end walls thereof each including a ring affixed to one of the end walls and a strap assembled to the ring, the effective length of the strap being adjustable, and further including a hook with a spring-loaded latch, the hook being fastened on the free end of the strap. The container can rest on and be secured to either a floor of a cargo space in transport craft such as a helicopter or can rest on and be secured to an underlying similar container.

The invention relates to cargo-carrying containers designed to be stowedsecurely e.g. in helicopters.

The object of the invention is to provide a cargo-carrying containerwhich can either be secured to and rest on a floor of a cargo storagespace or be secured to and rest on a similar underlying container whichmay itself be secured to and rest on the floor.

According to the invention there is provided a cargo-carrying containerhaving two opposite end walls, a first component of a releasablefastening mounted on the outer side of each end wall, a flexible tensionmember mounted on each end wall and extending from such end wall to afree end of the tension member, and a second component of the releasablefastening on the free end of each tension member, the second componentbeing complementary in forming a releasable fastening either with acomponent mounted in the floor of a cargo storage space when thecontainer is resting on such floor or with the first component of asimilar container underlying the container.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of examplewith reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an oblique view of a container according to the invention andshowing the container resting on and secured to a floor of a cargostorage space and also showing the container resting on and secured to asimilar underlying container: and

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the mounting tension member ofan end wall of the container.

A container 1 has a bottom wall, a front wall 2, a rear wall and endwalls 3 and a closeable top 4 which is hinged to the rear wall andfastened by releasable clasps 5 on the front wall 2. On each end wall 2is mounted a tension member 6 in the form of a strap having one endsecured to a plate 7 which can swivel about a spacing bush 8. A threadedshank portion 9 of an eye bolt 10 extends through a washer 11, the bush8, a fixed plate 12, the end wall 3, a timber block 13, a channel member14 and a washer 15 and threadedly receives a nut 16. A ring 17 isretained in the head of the eye bolt 10. The strap includes a buckle 18with a releasable jamming lever whereby the effective length of thestrap can be adjusted. The free end of the strap carries a hook 19 witha spring-loaded latch.

In use the container 1 may as shown on the right hand side of FIG. 1,rest on and be secured to the floor of a cargo storage space with thehooks 19 secured to rings 17 retained in eye bolts 10 mounted on thefloor and the tension members 6 tightened. It is also possible as shownon the left hand side of FIG. 1 to stack two containers and secure themtogether, in which case the hooks 19 of the top container are secured tothe rings 17 retained in the eye bolts 10 of the bottom container. It isalso possible to stack more than two containers.

When the tension members 6 are not in use the tension members 6 and theplates 7 may be swivelled about the bushes 8 so that the tension members6 may be disposed out of the way with the hooks 19 engaged with eachother or engaged with rings mounted on the front and/or rear wall of thecontainer.

The containers are particularly designed for use in helicopters and tobe easily manhandled, handles 20 being provided on the end walls 3.

The containers are made of sheet aluminium alloy with pressed ribs 21and the corners of the top 4 are reinforced as at 22. The channel member14 is also made of sheet aluminium alloy and is conveniently secured tothe inside of the end walls 3 by pop rivets.

As shown in FIG. 1 two tension members 6 are fitted to each end wall 3.However, one tension member 6 could instead be fitted to each end wall 3centrally under the handle 20.

I claim:
 1. A cargo-carrying container of a size to be readilymanhandled having two opposite end walls, a cargo tie-down deviceforming a releasable fastening mounted on the outer side of each endwall, each said tie-down device comprising an eye bolt fastened to theend wall having means for fastening a hook thereto and a flexible straptension member mounted at one end on each end wall by said eye bolt andextending from such end wall to a free end of the strap tension member,and a releasable fastening hook member on the free end of each straptension member, the hook member being complementary to the hookfastening means of the eye bolt in forming a releasable fastening with asimilar eye bolt of the tie-down devices of a similar containerunderlying the first-mentioned container. wherein the eye bolt hookfastening means is a rigid ring member supported by the eye bolt, eachof said flexible strap tension members is a strap including buckle meansfor adjustment of the effective length of the strap, and said hookmember on the free end of the strap includes a spring-loaded latch forreleasably closing the hook when assembled with one of said ringmembers.